ESSA in Colorado - A Conversation on the Implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act

School Improvement

By Peter Sherman, Executive Director, District and School Performance UnitTuesday, March 22, 2016 - 8:40am

On Friday, February 26, a CDE team attended a training about ESSA. At the training, we learned about ESSA and its implications for how we designate and support schools and districts. ESSA delineates three types of school designations and related supports for Title I schools.

I, like many people in my position, spent the week between Christmas and New Year’s reading the new ESSA Law. It was 391 pages of light and easy reading until I came upon page 338. Being so far into the new law, my mind was a bit numb and I did not stop until 3 pages later. I had to back up to make sure what I read wasn’t a hallucination. But there it was, page 338, SEC. 9206, right between “Report on Department Actions to Address Office of Inspector General Reports” and “Education Flexibility Partnership Act of 1999 Reauthorization”; “Posthumous Pardon.”

Last Friday, February 26, six of us from CDE had the chance to join the leadership teams from the Departments of Ed in Utah, New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona for a deep dive into the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). It was a one-day crash course looking at accountability, teacher qualifications, use of funds, and flexibility. I came away with a much clearer understanding of our responsibilities over the next 18 months, but more importantly, I came away with tremendous excitement about what we can accomplish as a state.

The U.S. Department of Education released a set of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) frequently asked questions (FAQs) based on questions received from states and others.

The Department prepared these FAQs (ESSA FAQ document) to support states and LEAs in understanding expectations during the transition to full implementation of the ESSA, and will continue to add to these FAQs over the coming months.

Did you know that ESSA permits the use of certain Federal funds to operate concurrent enrollment programs? Specifically, to address the needs of low-achieving secondary school students and those at risk of not meeting Colorado academic standards. CDE is working with the U.S. Department of Education to clarify these details and will add to concurrent enrollment guidance soon.

On the day ESSA passed in December, CDE staff provided a brief overview of the new law to the State Board of Education. Take a look at the highlights of the changes that will affect Colorado’s assessment and accountability systems. Since this presentation was given, we’ve learned that most likely, the U.S. Department of Education won’t issue rules until October 2016 and state plans may not be due until summer 2017.